All articles filed in Thoughts

Opinions, thoughts, and perspectives

Traveling is most of the time portrayed with full of glitz and glamour. However, it is not always the case. There are secrets, thoughts, and perspectives that are not always exposed to mainstream media. There are stories of inspiration, hard truths, or even unfortunate circumstances that revolve around the person traveling or even the destination he or she has been to.

These perspectives and opinions are richer than gold. And we aim to share this speck of gold to people who are willing to accept both the positive and harsh reality connected to traveling and the world we live in.

The sunset at Apo Island (photo above), a marine protected area in Dumaguete City, Philippines is just breathtaking. Known for being a feeding ground of two sea turtle species in the Country, it caught the attention of a lot of local and foreign travelers. However, there’s more to Apo Island than what meets the eye.…

Claiming that it’s an easy transition is a lie. The first time I tried to swim, without a life vest, was during the first time I took a free diving lesson. It was a three-tier program which includes traversing the rope down the 20-foot swimming pool with feet first, then head first, then the finale — attempting to dive. The first two steps were fine, the third tier of the program was a totally different discussion.

For weeks, I have been asking myself a question I thought I answered years ago. However, after carefully pondering about life and all the gifts and shit that come with it, I felt somehow lost. In the midst of confusion, I find myself asking the same question again: “Why do I travel?”

Mt. Pinatubo, known by many today as the ‘Beautiful Disaster’ due to its breathtaking caldera (crater), made news globally when it erupted in June 1991. Although a lot of Filipinos and even volcanologists worldwide are aware of the cataclysmic phenomenon it caused in the 20th century, some may only know the tip of the iceberg — or in this case, volcano. Not everyone completely knows about the events that transpired before, during, and after the eruption. Such extraordinary and powerful display of force of nature deserves everyone’s respect and attention.

When we go for a vacation, our expectations always revolve around having full of wonder and enjoyment, which most of the time is achievable. However, very few destinations could meet that expectation while at the same time wrench your heart with so much pain that will later intensify into a source of an even much more inspiration.

Hiroshima, the historical prefecture that has been through hell and back, did just that.